Jimmy Watson: Many 'Red Out' game to raise awareness of children's heart defects

'Red Out' game to raise heart defect awareness

Many assistant football coach Jeremie Ryan holds son Joseph, who has had two open heart surgeries to correct his Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Many will host a 'Red Out' game on Friday night against BTW to honor families affected by congenital heart defects in children.

Katie and Jeremie Ryan were stunned when the doctors delivered the news about their newborn son last December.

With four healthy children already in the home, hearing that Joseph was born with just half a heart was difficult to absorb.

"We thought he had been given a death sentence. I don't think Katie heard anything else the doctors said," explained Jeremie, an assistant football coach at Many High. "I did my best to listen, but it was very hard after that. Our question was 'and you're going to do what to fix this?'"

Just a day and a half after leaving the safety of his mother's womb on Dec. 14, young Joseph was flown to Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans, where underwent the first of his heart surgeries 17 days into his life. Given a 75 percent chance of surviving that January operation, Joseph made it to his second surgery in April. He survived that and has kept on fighting thanks to procedures that were unheard of 25 years ago.

Just 9 ½ months into his life, Joseph is doing fine, thanks to prayers and the skill of physicians, although he'll need a third surgery when he is 2 or 3 years old. Joseph will attend the inaugural Many Red Out game on Friday night when the Tigers host visiting BTW at 7 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.

"We're still having to be careful with what Joseph is exposed to, but with his clothes on, he just looks like a regular baby," Ryan said.

Middle and high school students in the Many area have been purchasing "Tigers Are All Heart" T-shirts for several weeks, raising about $3,000 for the Children's Heart Foundation. The Tiger football team, undefeated and the top-ranked Class 2A team in the state, will wear solid red jerseys and pants during Friday's game to raise awareness for congenital heart defects. Fans attending the contest are urged to do the same.

One in every 100 children is born with a CHD, some minor enough to go unnoticed until later than life, while others aren't so lucky. Each year approximately 40,000 U.S. babies won't celebrate their first birthday due to having a chronic form of CHD. Joseph was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a CHD that occurs in 1 of every 5,000 births.

"Essentially, the left side of his heart is completely non-functioning," Ryan said. "His two open-heart surgeries re-routed blood flow allowing the half of his heart that does work to take care a whole heart's job. Hopefully his third surgery in a couple of years will be his last."

But Ryan said the celebration of life on Friday isn't just about his son's life.

"Through our struggle, we have gotten to know many people in this area who have had challenges with their children similar to us," Ryan said. "Our Red Out game will honor all those families who have been affected by CHDs. We'll have a balloon release about 6:10 p.m. when the teams take the field for warm-ups."

Ryan said head football coach Jess Curtis and principal Norman Booker III have been supportive of the CHD cause and have allowed him time away from his coaching duties to help Katie, a stay-at-home mom, care for Joseph.

"We've been fortunate with a lot of people, including family, pitching in to help care for our other four children (ages 3 to 14), and by holding fundraisers to help us financially," Ryan said.

Although only a handful of the 500-plus T-shirts remain for sale, anyone wanting to make a donation toward Many's goal of $5,000 for the foundation can do so through City Bank of Natchitoches/Many.

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Jimmy Watson: Many 'Red Out' game to raise awareness of children's heart defects

Katie and Jeremie Ryan were stunned when the doctors delivered the news about their newborn son last December.